Friday, October 31, 2008

If you are going to preach, then preach like this

No need to talk of Hell or judgement here. That is not what was needed.



It is perhaps the most powerful and beautiful speech of the last century.

Fear and the darkside, why the religious must stay out of politics



When one group in society can destroy the reputation of an individual based on superstition then it has gone too far.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Einstein proved there is no God when he pointed out that all things which exist are relative to each other. Accordingly, an eternal God must, relative to this point in time (and whether or not the space time continuum commences from any set big bang event) therefore have existed at a point in time, an infinite amount of time ago. Therefore, God must traverse an infinite amount of time to reach this point in time and since an infinity cannot be traversed, God cannot exist.

"If a system of coordinates K is chosen so that, in relation to it, physical laws hold good in their simplest form, the same laws hold good in relation to any other system of coordinates K' moving in uniform translation relatively to K."
– Albert Einstein: The foundation of the general theory of relativity, Section A, §1

Thus, an eternal God that ever have had any effect on the universe at any point in time does not exist. There is only one thing that can be eternal as well as traverse an infinite amount of time because it is not relative to any other thing. Have a guess at what it is.

"The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish." A Einstein, 1954, letter to Eric Gutkind.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Why do you oppose religion?

I often get asked why I would oppose religion and God. Christians usually couch the question in such a way as to imply it is purely for rebellion against the creator and thereby justify their assumption that I will spend eternity in Hell. Lol. The truth is more profound than that simple shell game and can be found in the problem of evil.

If you ask a theist, "why are some people rich and others desperately poor" or "why do some people go to good schools and others get neglected" then you will get the usual response, "God has morally sufficient reasons for creating these inequalities". In other words, the theists religion causes the theist to simply accept inequality in the world as the work of God. Alternatively, they will state that such inequality is the result of man's sin. Again, there is a carte blanche acceptance of inequalities in our society on the basis of reasoning underpinned by their beliefs. Of course, those inequalities in this world do not matter because of the promise of the afterlife.

If we follow this premise we see that the theist is unquestioning of power in the past, at present and into the future. The theist loses the capcity to question authority because it is "God's will". But we know that in order for society to change for the better there must be an element of questioning of authority and the present circumstances. Religion just removes the theists voice from the discussion. Thus, I oppose religion because it pacifies people from determining their own destiny.

Think though of the irony of the situation. The deal made by theists is to accept their fate and in exchange they are offered an eternity in the afterlife, a place where no-one has been and no-one can find without having never to return. It is the sale of real estate that doesn't exist in exchange for everything you have in the world. I feel sorry for theists, they have been duped and have become the unknowing projectors of their mind destroying poison onto other people. They do not realise their choice and accordingly, they are lost.

Where did Jesus come from?

The separation between the myth of Jesus and the person (if any) is difficult to untangle. We know that so far as mythological figures goes, Jesus shares many stark similarities to other Gods in Eurasia before that time. Including, but not limited to Horus (well, one of his incarnations), Mythra, Krishna, Dionysis and even Joseph of the Bible. When considering whether Jesus is a myth or not, we should look at some of these fascinating myths from the ancient world and think about the potential influence they may have had on one another. After all, we know these people traded extensively with each other in both goods as well as ideas.





Horus - This is probably the oldest (3000BC) incarnation of the Jesus myth. There are about 15 different incarnations of Horus, as each priest over the 2500 years that he was worshipped added their own ideas.





Horus was the son of Isis-Meri and Osiris. Osiris was dead (not in this world) at the time of conception of Horus. Horus was adorned by three wise men or magi at his birth, who followed a shining star. Horus was a teacher at age 12, he was baptised at 30 and then betrayed after ministering to the people and performing miracles. He was known as "lamb of God" and "light of the world". He was crucified and was buried, only to arise three days later.





Horus is characteristically shown with the head of an eagle. He is also the deity that leads the judged when their hearts are weighed against a feather, as shown below in the Book of the Dead:-


Mithra - appears at least by 670BC with the first Persian empire. Zoroastrian texts state that Ahura Mazda (The Zoroastrian God) declares to Zoroaster that Mithra is "to be as worthy of sacrifice and as worthy of prayer as myself". Born to a virgin on 25 December, he was known as the "light", "redeemer", "enemy of darkness" and "judge of souls", the last being his official title within Zoroastrian custom. He was part of a trinity of protectors of the universe. He entered the mortal realm where he was betrayed, killed and then resurrected into light and air where he now guides souls to Paradise.

Dionysus - Ancient Greece. Dionysus is born of a virgin to Semale. His father is Zeus. Dionysus travels with companions throughout the Greek Isles performing miracles. He is the God of wine and revelry and asks others to "drink his blood and eat his flesh". He can make wine from nothing as shown in various ancient ceremonies

Joseph - son of Jacob, 2nd last of 12 sons (12 disciples). Was betrayed at the idea of his brother Judah (Jude, Judas) out of jealousy and sold into slavery. At the age of 30 he shows miraculous abilities, overcomes temptation and leads the jewish people into Egypt.

There are about 57 ressurection and 45 virgin birth myths catalogued in the ancient world. These similarities are not random chance. They all have an astrological meaning - something that was very important to the ancients. For instance, in the northern hemisphere the sun appears lower on the horizon as the winter solstace approaches. Presently that happens on the 21st or 22nd of December. The sun descends to its lowest point for three days then arises as the tilt of the earth changes. That is, the sun begins to rise on the 25th of december. In ancient lore, the sun was adored as "giver of life" the "light" as it would provide the light and warmth for people of the ancient world. Thus, its descent into darker days was viewed as the sun dying or losing the battle against the darkness. The return of the sun was considered a "rebirth" whereupon it would come to dominate the days at about late march (Spring Equinox) or easter.

Even more interestingly, the three stars that form Orion's belt which were known to some ancients as the three magi or three kings, align directly through the brightest star in the sky, Sirius A to line up with the point on the horizon where the sun rises on the 25th of december. The birth of Jesus is just an astrological event retold.

Astrology cults are not new. In a time when the entire world had only the stars to look at during night, these were fascinating things. They personified the stars and the sun because of their magnificence. They were untouchable by man and therefore, to a species that learns through touching, completely unknowable. These stories held the psyche of man, and long after their actual nature began, they became the foundation for new stories and myths.

But what about the crucifixtion? Why both Horus, Jesus, Dionysus and others suffering a crucifixtion? The answer is simple, you have probably known about it since you were very young and first saw the Australian flag. When the sun descends (from the northern hemisphere) into the winter solstice, the earth is tilted to its lowest point. In the mediteranean, the sun appears to rise through the constellation crux - or the cross - He is risen.

These stories have lived through the ages. They have changed over time, particularily before the advent of widespread writing. And now, people wish to spread these lies over the rest of us as truth. They don't realise the truth because they blind themselves with faith.

I am sorry, there is no God.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Kiss Hanks

This is exactly how I feel dealing with fundies sometimes:-

This morning there was a knock at my door. When I answered the door I found a well groomed, nicely dressed couple. The man spoke first:

John: "Hi! I'm John, and this is Mary."
Mary: "Hi! We're here to invite you to come kiss Hank's *** with us."

Me: "Pardon me?! What are you talking about? Who's Hank, and why would I want to kiss His ***?"

John: "If you kiss Hank's ***, He'll give you a million dollars; and if you don't, He'll kick the **** out of you."

Me: "What? Is this some sort of bizarre mob shake-down?"

John: "Hank is a billionaire philanthropist. Hank built this town. Hank owns this town. He can do whatever He wants, and what He wants is to give you a million dollars, but He can't until you kiss His ***."

Me: "That doesn't make any sense. Why..."

Mary: "Who are you to question Hank's gift? Don't you want a million dollars? Isn't it worth a little kiss on the ***?"

Me: "Well maybe, if it's legit, but..."

John: "Then come kiss Hank's *** with us."

Me: "Do you kiss Hank's *** often?"

Mary: "Oh yes, all the time..."

Me: "And has He given you a million dollars?"

John: "Well no. You don't actually get the money until you leave town."

Me: "So why don't you just leave town now?"

Mary: "You can't leave until Hank tells you to, or you don't get the money, and He kicks the **** out of you."

Me: "Do you know anyone who kissed Hank's ***, left town, and got the million dollars?"

John: "My mother kissed Hank's *** for years. She left town last year, and I'm sure she got the money."

Me: "Haven't you talked to her since then?"

John: "Of course not, Hank doesn't allow it."

Me: "So what makes you think He'll actually give you the money if you've never talked to anyone who got the money?"

Mary: "Well, He gives you a little bit before you leave. Maybe you'll get a raise, maybe you'll win a small lotto, maybe you'll just find a twenty-dollar bill on the street."

Me: "What's that got to do with Hank?"

John: "Hank has certain 'connections.'"

Me: "I'm sorry, but this sounds like some sort of bizarre con game."

John: "But it's a million dollars, can you really take the chance? And remember, if you don't kiss Hank's *** He'll kick the **** of you."

Me: "Maybe if I could see Hank, talk to Him, get the details straight from Him..."

Mary: "No one sees Hank, no one talks to Hank."

Me: "Then how do you kiss His ***?"

John: "Sometimes we just blow Him a kiss, and think of His ***. Other times we kiss Karl's ***, and he passes it on."

Me: "Who's Karl?" Mary: "A friend of ours. He's the one who taught us all about kissing Hank's ***. All we had to do was take him out to dinner a few times."

Me: "And you just took his word for it when he said there was a Hank, that Hank wanted you to kiss His ***, and that Hank would reward you?"

John: "Oh no! Karl has a letter he got from Hank years ago explaining the whole thing. Here's a copy; see for yourself."

** From the desk of Karl **

Kiss Hank's *** and He'll give you a million dollars when you leave town.
Use alcohol in moderation.
Kick the **** out of people who aren't like you.
Eat right.
Hank dictated this list Himself.
The moon is made of green cheese.
Everything Hank says is right.
Wash your hands after going to the bathroom.
Don't use alcohol.
Eat your wieners on buns, no condiments.
Kiss Hank's *** or He'll kick the **** out of you.

Me: "This appears to be written on Karl's letterhead."

Mary: "Hank didn't have any paper."

Me: "I have a hunch that if we checked we'd find this is Karl's handwriting."

John: "Of course, Hank dictated it."

Me: "I thought you said no one gets to see Hank?"

Mary: "Not now, but years ago He would talk to some people."

Me: "I thought you said He was a philanthropist. What sort of philanthropist kicks the **** out of people just because they're different?"

Mary: "It's what Hank wants, and Hank's always right."

Me: "How do you figure that?"

Mary: "Item 7 says 'Everything Hank says is right.' That's good enough for me!"

Me: "Maybe your friend Karl just made the whole thing up."

John: "No way! Item 5 says 'Hank dictated this list himself.' Besides, item 2 says 'Use alcohol in moderation,' Item 4 says 'Eat right,' and item 8 says 'Wash your hands after going to the bathroom.' Everyone knows those things are right, so the rest must be true, too."

Me: "But 9 says 'Don't use alcohol.' which doesn't quite go with item 2, and 6 says 'The moon is made of green cheese,' which is just plain wrong."

John: "There's no contradiction between 9 and 2, 9 just clarifies 2. As far as 6 goes, you've never been to the moon, so you can't say for sure."

Me: "Scientists have pretty firmly established that the moon is made of rock..."